Self-cleaning snagger plate



Nov. 22, 1960 N. H. SWANSON 2,961,177

SELF-CLEANING SNAGGER PLATE Filed Oct. 21, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

lA/VE/VTOI? Mb. SWAN-901V Nov. 22, 1960 N. H. SWANSON SELF-CLEANING SNAGGER PLATE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVF/VTO/i M H6wA Also an? 1. W

Filed Oct. 21, 1958 United States Patent SELF-CLEANING SNAGGER PLATE Nils H. Swanson, La Grange, Ill., assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Oct. 21, 1958, Ser. No. 768,756

Claims. (Cl. 242-) This invention relates to a self-cleaning snagger plate, or more particularly, to a snagger plate for continuous wire take-up operations which has peripherally disposed gripping means that co-act with one another to automatically move to a gripping position when the plate is rotating and automatically move to an open position when the plate ceases to rotate.

In the continuous winding of wire or other strand material, the wire must be shifted from a full take-up reel to an empty take-up reel without halting the take-up operation. This is generally accomplished by separately rotating a pair of take-up reels in close proximity to one another, and guiding the wire from the full reel to the empty reel. Mounted to each reel, and rotated therewith, is generally a snagger plate having gripping means, or teeth, disposed along the periphery thereof which are used to grip the wire as it leaves the full reel and enters the empty reel. The gripping of the wire at each reel is necessary, in that, the wire between the reels is severed in order to remove the full reel while the empty reel is being wound, and the wire must therefore be tightly gripped at each reel to prevent the full reel from unwinding and to maintain a pulling force on the wire to be wound on the empty reel. It is desirable, therefore, to provide a snagger plate having peripherally disposed teeth which automatically move to a gripping position when the snagger plate is rotated and which automatically move to a non-gripping or open position when the snagger plate ceases to rotate so the ends of the wire are easily accessible.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a new and im roved self-cleaning snagger plate.

Another object of the invention is to provide a snagger plate having peripherally disposed gripping means which automatically move to a closed position when the plate is rotating and automatically move to an open position when the plate ceases to rotate.

A further object of the invention is to provide a snagger plate having peripherally disposed, slidably mounted gripping means which move relative to the plate upon initial rotating movement of the plate to co-act with one another to move to a gripping position.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a snagger plate having peripherally disposed, slidably mounted teeth which are urged in the direction of rotation of the plate into an open position, and which move in an opposite direction into a closed position upon initial rotating movement of the plate.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a snagger plate having peripherally disposed, slidably mounted teeth which are urged in the direction of rotation of the plate into an open position, which move in an opposite direction into a closed position upon initial rotating movement of the plate, and which are held in the closed position during rotation of the plate by centrif- Yention contemplates a snagger plate mountable on a take-up reel or shaft for rotation therewith. The plate is provided with peripherally disposed, slidably mounted gripping means or teeth. The upper portion of the teeth project beyond the periphery of the plate with the leading portion of one tooth overlapping the trailing portion of the next successive tooth. The lower portion of the teeth are slidably pinned to the plate so that the teeth have limited peripheral and radial movement. finr' g means are mounted on the plate and associated with each tooth to urge the teeth into an open position in the direction of rotation of the plate. Hence, as the snagger plate is rotated, the inertia of the teeth will cause them to resist movement, and the teeth will slide opposite to the direction of rotation and radially outward against the forces of the spring means into a closed or gri ping position. From the above description, it may be understood that the snagger plate will move the teeth to a gripping position upon rotation, and when wire is passed from one reel to the next, the teeth will snag the wire. Then, when the plate ceases to rotate, the teeth will automatically move to an open position to release the wire, giving the snagger plate a selfcleaning characteristic.

Other obiects, advantages and novel aspects of the invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, in conjunction with the accompanving drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a simplified view of a continuous winding apparatus disclosing a pair of snagger plates for facilitating the transfer of a moving wire from a full reel to an empty reel;

Fig, 2 is a front elevation view, partially cut away, of a snagger plate embodying the principles of the instant invention;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a snagger plate showing the teeth mounted thereon in a closed or grip ing position;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a snagger plate showing the teeth mounted thereon in an open position;

Fig. 5 is a section view taken along line 55 of Fig. 3 showing the mounting of the teeth on the snagger plate; and

Figs. 6 and 7 are sectional views of a tooth on a snagger plate in the gripping and non-gripping positions respectively.

Referring now to Fig. 1 wherein is shown a simplified view of a continuous strand take-up apparatus, it may be seen that a pair of snagger plates 10 are mounted on rotatable shafts 11 or on take-up reels 12 and 15. In the continuous winding of strand, a strand 13 emanating from strand processing stations (not shown) to a first reel 12 is guided by a reciprocating guide 14 that moves the strand back and forth across the reel 12 until the reel becomes full as shown in Fig. 1. At this point the guide 14 moves from the reel 12 to the emoty reel 15, thereby moving the strand over the ends of the two reels Where t e s rand is grinned by the snag er lates 10. Positioned between the two reels 12 and 15, is a knife or other type of severing device 16 which cuts the strand. Then. as the reel 15 continues to rotate, the full reel 12 may be stopped, removed from the shaft 11, and replaced with an empty reel for the next switchover operation between reels. It may be understood, therefore, that the snagger plates 10 must be capable of securely gripping the wire to prevent the ends of the wire from escaping from the snagger plate after the severing operation. It is also desirable to provide a snagger plate which will automatically release the wire upon cessation of rotating movement of the snagger plate.

A snagger plate 10 having the desirable characteristics of automatically moving to a closed position upon rotation of the snagger plate to firmly grip a wire snagger thereby, and of automatically releasing the wire upon cessation of rotating movement of the snagger plate, is shown in Fig. 2. The snagger plate comprises a pair of rotatable plates 21 and 22 having central apertures 23 formed therein for mounting the plates upon a rotatable shaft 11. The two plates are held together in a spaced relationship by means of projecting bosses 24 (Fig. through which screws 26 are seated. Rotatably mounted on the bosses 24 are rollers 27 which slidably support a plurality of gripping means or teeth 28 around the periphery of the plates 21 and 22.

The teeth, as best shown in Figs. 3 and 4, are mounted around the periphery of the plates 21 and 22 such that the upper portions thereof project. beyond the peripheral edge of the plates. The teeth 28 are arranged in abutting relationship such that the forward portion of one tooth engages the rear portion of the next successive tooth. The teeth are mounted on the rollers 27 by means of a first slot 31 formed in the forward portion of each tooth 28 and a second slot 32 formed in the rear portion of each tooth. The first slot 31 extends concentrically with the periphery of the plates and the second slot 32 extends parallel to a tangent to the periphery of the plates or in a chordal direction.

Each of the teeth 28 is also provided with an extension 33 which projects in the direction of rotation of the plates and which overlaps the rear portion of the next successive tooth. The extensions 33 each have a V-shaped slot 34 formed in the inner surface of the extensions and which complement a V-shaped projection or ridge 36 on the outer surface of each succeeding tooth.

A tension spring 37 connects a pin 38 mounted on each tooth and a pin 39 mounted between the two plates 21 and 22 for urging the tooth 23 in the direction of rotation of the plates. As best seen in Fig. 4. when the plates 21 and 22 are stationary, the springs 37 are sufficiently strong to move the teeth 28 in the direction of rotation of the plates until the rollers 27 are positioned in the rear portion of the slots 31 and 32. The teeth are therefore placed in a non-gripping, or open position whereby the extension 33 of one tooth is spaced from the rear portion of the next successive tooth.

When the plates 21 and 22 begin to rotate, the inertia of the teeth resists the movement that tends to be imparted to the teeth by the movement of the plates, thereby causing the teeth to have a relative movement to the plates in a direction opposite to the direction or rotation of the plates while overcoming the forces of the springs 37. The teeth will therefore move to the position shown in Fig. 3 wherein the rollers 27 are positioned in the forward ends of the slots 31 and 32. As the slots 31 extend concentrically to the periphery of the plates, the forward portions of the teeth will move relative to the plates in a peripheral direction. However, as the slots 32 are chordal to the periphery of the plates, the rear portions of the teeth 28 will move not only peripherally relative to the plates but also radially outward from the center of the plates, thereby pivoting the ridges 36 radially outward and the extensions 33 radially inward to move the ridges as into the grooves 34 of the extensions 33 to place the teeth in a gripping position.

As the plates 21 and 22 approach the speed of strand take-up, the acceleration of the plates begins to decrease, and therefore, the forces due to the inertia of the teeth 28 likewise decrease and eventually become non-existent when the plates are being rotated at a constant velocity. At this time, the forces applied to the teeth 28 by means of the tension springs 37 is still not suffizient to move the teeth in the direction of rotation of the plates, in that, there are numerous other forces which tend to hold the teeth in the rearwardly and radially outward positions. Among these forces, the greatest is the centrifugal forces applied to the teeth 28 which tend to retain the teeth in their most outward and therefore rearward positions. It may be understood, that as the slots 31 and 32 extend in a chordal direction, the friction resulting from centrifugal forces must be overcome in order to move the teeth. Other forces such as the static friction between the moving surfaces of the snagger plate 16 and the air resistance due to the rotation of the plates, assists in retaining the teeth in the rear and outward positions.

The plate 21 is provided with a rim flange 41 extending around the periphery which may be used to mount the snagger plate 10 onto a rim of a take-up reel as shown in Fig. 5. When the take-up reel is filled, the strand 13 will be guided from the reel and over the snagger plate 10 and will be tightly gripped between the ii-shaped projection or ridge 36 and the V-shaped slot 34 in the extension 33.

The strand will remain tightly gripped by the snagger plate until the snagger plate begins to decelerate upon the stopping the rotation of the plate. At this time the momentum of the teeth 28 tends to resist the change in motion and produces forces which combine with the forces of the springs 37 to move the teeth 28 in the direction of rotation of the snagger plate 10. As the snagger plate continues to decelerate and approaches a complete stop the forces caused by the momentum of the teeth 28 and the tension on the springs 37 equalize and eventually overcome the frictional forces, air resistance and centrifugal forces tending to prevent movement of the teeth 28, and the teeth are thereby moved in the direction of rotation of the snagger plate and simultaneously, the rear portions of the teeth are moved radially inward and the extensions thereon are moved radially outward to release the strand.

It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are simply illustrative of the applicatfon of the principles of this invention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. In a snagger plate for strand take up, a rotatable plate, strand gripping means mounted on said plate for sliding movement chordal to the periphery of the plate, and means rendered effective by the rotation of said plate for chordally sliding said gripping means opposite to the direction of rotation of said plate so as to move a portion of said gripping means inwardly and thereby tighten said gripping means on a strand as the plate is rotating.

2. In a snagger plate for continuous strand take-up, a rotatable plate, strand gripping means positioned around the periphery of said plate and having a forward portion of one gripping means abutting the rear portion of the next successive gripping means, means for movably mounting said gripping means on the plate for movement in a direction opposite to a predetermined direction of :otation of the plate upon rotation thereof into a gripping position, means for rotating the plate in the predetermined direction, and means rendered effective upon cessation of rotation of the plate for moving the gripping means in said predetermined direction into a non-gripping position.

3. In a snagger plate for continuous strand take-up, a rotatable plate, strand gripping means positioned around the periphery of said plate and having an outer portion projecting beyond the peripheral edge of the plate, each of said gripping means having an extension projecting over the next successive gripping means and positioned in abutting relationship, means for movably mounting said gripping means for movement in a direction opposite to a predetermined direction of rotation of the plate upon rotation thereof whereby the extensions co-act with the next successive gripping means to move into a gripping position, means for rotating said plate in the predetermined direction, and means rendered effec'tive by cessation of rotation of the plate for moving the gripping means in said predetermined direction into a non-gripping position.

4. A snagger plate for continuous strand take-up which comprises, a rotatable plate, a plurality of strand gripping means positioned along the periphery of the plate in end to end relationship, each of said gripping means having an upper portion extending beyond the periphery of the plate provided with an outer projection and a lower portion positioned within the boundaries of the peripheral edge of the plate, an extension on the leading end of each gripping means overlapping the next successive gripping means and having a groove in the inner surface complementa'ry to said projection, means for slidably mounting said gripping means on the plate for movement in a direction'opposite to the direction of rotation of the plate upon rotation thereof into a gripping position wherein the grooves in the extensions are forced over said projections, means for rotating said plate in a predetermined direction, and means for urging the gripping means in said predetermined direction into a non-gripping position whereinthe grooves and projections are separated.

5. A snagger plate for continuous strand take-up which comprises, a rotatable plate, strand gripping means positioned along the peripheral edge of said plate, means slidably mounting the gripping means to the plate for movement peripherally and radially upon rotation of the plate, means for rotating said plate, and means rendered effective upon cessation of rotation of the plate for returning each gripping means to the original peripheral and radial position.

6. A snagger plate for continuous strand take-up which comprises, a rotatable plate, strand gripping means positioned along the peripheral edge of said plate, means slidably mounting the gripping means to the plate for movement opposite to the direction of rotation of the plate and radially outward upon rotation of the plate into a gripping position, means for rotating said plate in a predetermined direction, and means rendered effective upon cessation of rotation of the plate for sliding the gripping means in said predetermined direction and radially inward to a non-gripping position.

7. A snagger plate for continuous strand take-up which comprises, a rotatable plate, strand gripping teeth positioned around the periphery of the plate in abutting relationship, each of said teeth having an extension on the leading portion thereof for overlapping and engaging the rear portion of the next successive tooth, means slidably mounting the teeth to the plate for movement opposite to the direction of rotation of the plate and radially outward to engage the extension of each tooth against the rear portion of the next successive tooth upon rotation of the plate, means for rotating said plate in a predetermined direction, and means rendered effective upon cessation of rotation of the plate for sliding the teeth in said predetermined direction and radially inward to disengage the extension of each tooth from the rear portion of the next successive tooth.

8. A snagger plate for continuous strand take-up which comprises, a pair of rotatable plates secured in spaced relationship by means of bosses extending therebetween, rollers mounted on said bosses, a plurality of strand gripping teeth positioned between said plates, said teeth having slots formed therein through which the rollers extend, means for rotating said plates in a predetermined direction whereby forces of inertia move the teeth opposite to the direction of rotation of the plates, and means rendered effective by the cessation of rotation of the plates for moving the teeth in said predetermined direction.

9. A snagger plate for continuous strand take-up which comprises, a pair of rotatable plates secured in spaced relationship by means of bosses extending therebetween, rollers mounted on said bosses, a plurality of strand gripping teeth positioned between said plates and near the peripheral edge thereof in abutting relationship, said teeth having slots formed therein through which the rollers extend and which are of such configuration as to guide the teeth in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the plates and radially outward upon rotation of the plates into a gripping position, means for rotating the plates in a predetermined direction, and means for urging the teeth in said predetermined direction and radially inward into a non-gripping position.

10. A snagger plate for continuous strand take-up comprising a pair of rotatable plates secured in spaced relationship by means of bosses extending therebetween, rollers mounted on said bosses, a plurality of strand gripping teeth positioned between said plates and near the peripheral edge thereof in abutting relationship, each of said teeth having a first slot formed in the forward portion thereof extending concentrically with the periphery of the plates and a second slot formed in the rear portion thereof extending along a chord to the periphery of the plates, said rollers positioned within the slots whereby forces of inertia move the teeth in a direction opposite to a predetermined direction of rotation of the plates and the rear portions thereof radially outward into a gripping position upon rotation of the plates, means for rotating said plates in the predetermined direction, and means for urging the teeth in said predetermined direction and the rear portions radially inward into a non-gripping position.

11. A snagger plate for continuous strand take-up which comprises, a pair of rotatable plates secured in spaced relationship by means of bosses extending therebetween, rollers mounted on said bosses, a plurality of strand gripping teeth positioned between said plates in abutting relationship and partially extending beyond the peripheral edge of the plates, each of said teeth being constructed with an extension projecting from the forward end thereof in overlapping relation with the next successive tooth, said extensions having a groove formed in the inner surface thereof, a ridge formed along the outer surface of each tooth for complementing the groove in each extension, said teeth having slots therein through which the rollers extend for guiding the teeth in a direction opposite to a predetermined direction of rotation of the plates and radially outward upon rotation of the plates to force the projections within the grooves in the extensions, means for rotating the plates in said predetermined direction, and means for urging the teeth in said predetermined direction and radially inward to separate the ridges from the grooves.

12. A snagger plate for continuous wire take-up comprising a pair of rotatable plates secured in spaced relationship by means of bosses extending therebetween, rollers mounted on said bosses, a plurality strand gripping teeth positioned between said plates in abutting relationship and partially extending beyond the peripheral edge of the plates, each of said teeth being constructed with an extension projecting from the forward portion thereof in overlapping relation with the next successive tooth, said extensions having a groove formed in the inner surface thereof, a projection formed along the outer surface of each tooth for complementing the groove in each extension, each of said teeth having a first slot formed in the forward portion thereof extending concentrically with the periphery of the plates and a second slot formed in the rear portion thereof extending along a chord to the periphery of the plates, said rollers positioned within the slots whereby forces of inertia move the teeth rearwardly, the rear portion thereof radially outward and the extensions thereon radially inward to force the projections of each tooth within the grooves in the extensions upon rotation of the plates, means for rotating said plates in a predetermined direction, and spring means for urging the teeth in said predetermined direction the rear portions thereof radially inward and the extensions thereof radially outward to separate the projections from the grooves.

13. A snagger plate for continuous strand take-up which comprises, a rotatable plate, strand gripping means slidably and pivotally mounted on said plate, means rendered effective by the rotation of said plate for sliding the gripping means opposite to the direction of rotation of the plate while pivoting a forward portion of the gripping means radially inward and a rear portion of the gripping means radially outward into a gripping position, means for rotating said plate in a predetermined direction, and means rendered effective upon cessation of rotating movement of the plate for sliding the gripping means in said predetermined direction while pivoting the forward portion radially outward and the rear portion radially inward into a non-gripping position.

14. A snagger plate for continuous strand take-up comprising a rotatable plate, strand gripping means slidably and plvotally mounted to said plate near the peripheral edge thereof, the upper portion of each gripping means projecting beyond the peripheral edge and having a leading extension overlapping the next successive gripping means, means rendered effective upon rotation of plate for sliding the gripping means opposite to the direction of rotation of the plate and pivoting the forward portion of the gripping means radially inward and the rear portion radially outward whereby the extensions engage the next successive gripping means, means for rotating said plate in a predetermined direction, and means frendered effective upon cessation of rotating movement of the plate for sliding the gripping means in said predetermined direction and pivoting the forward portion radially outward and the rear portion radially inward to separate the extensions from the next successive gripping means.

15. In a snagger plate for continuous strand take-up, a rotatable plate, a strand gripping means mounted around the periphery of said plate in such a manner asto permit both tangential and radial movement of said means, said tangential movement being in a direction opposite to a predetermined direction of rotation of the plate upon rotation thereof, means for rotating the plate in the predetermined direction, and means for urging the gripping means in said predetermined direction.

References Cited in the file of this'patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

